You're Taking All The Space Up in My Head
by Fan of Mikey
Summary: Josh kinda hates trees and feelings that he doesn't understand. DJslash


**Title:** You're Taking All The Space Up in My Head

**Rating:** R

**Disclaimer:** All characters, recognizable settings and or themes belong to Dan Schneider, Nickelodeon/Viacom, and others. I am in no way earning money or other profit from this fanfic.

**Char/Pair:** Drake/Josh, Drake/OFC (implied), Josh/OMC, OMCs, OFC, Megan, Helen + Gavin

**Prompt:** Drake + Josh + Tree = New revelations T 31 bang on IJ

**Spoilers:** Slight spoilers for _Tree House_, AU after that.

**Warnings:** Step-siblings slash, kissing between boys, strong language

**W/C:** 7,616

So Josh kinda hates trees. In fact he's pretty sure he'll never be able to look at a piece of wood the same way again. Oprah herself could be strapped to one and offering free hugs and he still wouldn't go near it. There could come a flood and if the only way to survive would be to sail away on a little wooden rowboat he ---

"All right, I get it, you hate trees. Can you complain about something else now?"

"Okay. Well uh, how about we discuss how you got us stuck up in here in the first place, huh?"

Josh looks down his nose at Drake where he sits, hands on his hips and foot tapping. Drake can't help but let out a snort.

"Dude you look like Mom."

Josh rolls his eyes and throws his arms up, annoyed, before stomping off to his own little corner of the tree house. They'd been stuck up there, for what felt like hours, and Josh's nerves were starting to wear thin.

"Anyway, how is this Imy/I fault?"

"You're the one who nailed us in here without a door!"

Drake climbs to his feet and stomps over to stand in front of Josh, glaring up at his brother, "Yeah well it was your rocket that got us stuck building it in the first place. I could be with twins right now!"

Drake punctuates each word with a sharp poke to Josh's chest and Josh steps away from the wall and retaliates by poking Drake back.

"It wouldn't have been a problem if you knew how to follow directions."

"Hey I tried to get that stupid con off, okay?"

Drake yelps when Josh pokes him in the chest again and he swats his hand away. It escalates then, the two of them swatting at each other with both hands. Josh uses his height to get Drake into a headlock and ruffles his brother's hair, something he knows Drake hates and Josh grins when he gets the desired indignant shout from Drake, "Dude not the hair!"

Drake hooks a foot around Josh's leg and, taking him by surprise, knocks him off his feet. They both go down in a heap on the wooden floor of the tree house, Drake landing with an oomph half on top of Josh. The breath leaves him and Josh can feel it rush past his face, it's minty-sour and a little like the banana he's perpetually eating. Drake sits up, straddling Josh's hips and throws his arms in the air, victory pose and shout of triumph.

Josh starts to wriggle underneath him, the weight of Drake pushing in all the wrong places. He tries to buck his hips to get him off but Drake just Iclings/I with his thighs and. Yeah, that just has the opposite effect Josh was going for.

Drake's eyes go wide and Josh can feel heat creep up his neck as the realization crosses Drake's face. He starts to queue up as many excuses he can think of just incase, not that he really Ineeds/I any. It's been a while, that's all, has absolutely nothing to do with Drake or the way he was practically Igrinding/I into his lap. Not at all.

Drake scrambles off of him then and plops down beside him. They lay there for long minutes, not touching but the heat of Drake is palpable along his side. The quiet is too much for Josh, too much awkward and he clears his throat, breaks the silence.

"Cone."

"Whatever!"

---

Whoever said things always look better in the morning must've never gotten hard because their step-brother straddled them. No, not because of, just Iwhen/I, he keeps reminding himself. Things didn't look at all better the next morning, or even two days after that and he was beginning to wonder if he was going to be able to look Drake in the eye ever again.

It helps, some, that he's busy with school, that work takes up a lot of his time. He's not sure about Drake's not bringing it up; either Drake doesn't care or he's really that oblivious to Josh walking around angsting over it. Josh isn't sure which is worse, the fact that Drake isn't worrying about it or the fact that he's worried that Drake isn't as upset about it as he maybe should be.

Or maybe he's blowing the whole thing out of proportion. It was just his body reacting to another warm body pressed against him (and the fact that said body happened to be Imale/I isn't freaking him out maybe as much as it should be to someone who had, up until a few days ago, thought he was as straight as they come, is surprising in and of itself). It had been months since Mindy, since anything other than his own hand. It was just a normal reaction. It could've happened to anybody. He certainly doesn't want to dwell too long on the burning he gets in his belly whenever he thinks about it happening to Drake, though.

He's so lost in his own thoughts when he exits their bedroom that he doesn't see Drake until he's already slammed into him. Fresh from the shower he's wet and shirtless, drying his hair on a faded red towel. Josh averts his eyes so quick they almost hurt.

"So-sorry man, didn't see ya there."

Drake just shrugs and pushes past him into their room proper and rummages through his drawer for a clean shirt. Of course there isn't any, if it were up to Drake he'd never have clean clothes, so instead he just dons one that passes the sniff-test and throws his towel to the floor before hopping onto the couch.

Josh swallows hard and steps back into the room, forgetting where he was going in the first place. He makes his way over to the couch, Drake on one end flipping through the channels of their television. He's not sure what he wants to say, or if he's even going to say anything, but he knows he wants the awkwardness to go away. Wants the race of nerves that rushes through him whenever he's around Drake now to soothe and die.

He sits on the opposite end of the couch, putting as much space between them as possible and it's weird, sitting next to Drake with at least a foot separating them when usually they're lined up shoulder to ankle. Drake gives him a small smile before turning back to the television and Josh watches him from the corner of his eye, idly picking a loosened thread on his shirt.

"So… uh, how-how are you?"

Josh mentally kicks himself, feeling ridiculous. Drake gives him a weird look, smirk lifting the corner of his lips and Josh resolutely does Inot/I stare as a wet tongue roves over them swiftly.

"I'm…good. How are you?"

Drake is talking to him like he's a small child, words slow and careful. Still, they sound muddled to Josh, who really isn't paying much attention anyway - too lost in his own head.

Drake gives up waiting for an answer and turns back to the television, laughing at something. His eyes shine bright in the glow from the screen, from laughter and he leans his head to lie along the back of the couch. Throat exposed and Adam's apple bobbing as he laughs again. Josh watches, unchecked and he finds himself not caring if Drake looks over and catches him. He wonders when his brother got so nice to look at. What it would be like, taste like, if he ran his tongue along the expanse of Drake's neck.

It's that thought that propels him up and off the couch. Drake's squawk of surprise follows him out the door but he doesn't stop to explain anything, doesn't stop at all until he's out of the house, the cool night air rushing over his flushed face.

Things are definitely a lot more awkward.

School was not proving to be the distraction that Josh needed today. Whenever he started to concentrate his mind would wander to Drake, or more specifically what he was going to do about him. He was no closer to figuring it out than he was the day it happened and, quite frankly, he was becoming annoyed by it.

Lunch was never a major affair for Josh, as geeky as it was he'd just as soon skip it to go sit in the library or get extra work for science so he could finally beat Mindy at something, but today he decided to head to the lunch room.

The cafeteria is full of students, all chatting loudly. After grabbing a sandwich and carton of milk he scopes the room for a familiar face. He spots Craig and Eric tucked away in the corner and makes his way over. They're talking animatedly about something when he approaches; he catches snippets of things about human designs and make up and he's not sure but he thinks they're either arguing about dresses or genetics. He wouldn't put it past them, really, if it were either one. He tunes them out after they say hello anyway.

He settles onto the bench beside Craig and unwraps his sandwich. From where he is, back against the wall, he's able to look out onto the cafeteria, across the room and to the entrance. It's not so bad, everyone talking about such mundane things, slapping each other high five. He'd even say it was nice. He wonders if any of them are having a crisis, though he doubts they're anything at all like whether or not they want to make their step-brother come.

He takes a large gulp of his milk, one eye on the door. He's fooling himself into thinking he's not actually looking for anyone, but he is. He's not entirely sure what Drake does on his lunch break. If he even imakes it/i to lunch. For all he knows he skips after 4th period, maybe goes to hang out at the mall - make out with some girl at the Premier.

"But orange washes out my complexion. IAnd/I I'll look like a carrot!"

"Um, hey guys? Does Drake ever come in for lunch?"

He doesn't know he's asking until the words are already out of his mouth and by then it's too late. He prepares himself to brush it off but then he realizes he doesn't ihave to/i because he's asking about Drake. Everyone knows how close they are. Craig and Eric may be more surprised that he idoesn't/i know.

"Sometimes. He never comes over to say 'hi' though, even after we call him and call him he just turns and goes back the other way. Maybe you should take him to get his ears checked."

"Yeah! He might have an inner-ear problem, just like my Grandma Ruth," Eric chimes in.

"Your Grandma Ruth had more than an inner-ear problem."

"Hey, I told you she can't help that. She's lactose intolerant, it makes her gassy."

Josh stutters out a thanks before turning away from them. He now knows more about Grandma Ruth than he ever wanted to know and he leaves them to their arguing. They're great friends, Craig and Eric, but sometimes even Josh finds them incredibly weird.

His eyes scan the room, passing by jocks and goths, the mathletes - stereotypically separated by their cliques. On a second sweep they land upon Drake, sitting with his arm thrown over some girls shoulder. He must have missed his brother's entrance, or maybe he was there the whole time, lost in the crowd of people that seem to perpetually hang around him. Drake had always been popular, had always had boys wanting to be his friend, girls wanting him for a iboy/ifriend. It never made the bottom of Josh's stomach drop out before though.

Drake catches his eye and Josh gives him a half-hearted wave, practically under the table. He always feels unsure of yourself, even if Drake is his brother he's still part of the popular crowd and Josh had never really fit in with them. Drake gives him a nod in return and goes back to the girl, now practically sitting on his lap.

There's a burning in his stomach that he'll blame later on the stale cafeteria sandwich he had barely eaten, but he knows better. It's something green and ugly, something he should be feeling toward his brother because he's got a girl, not toward the girl because she's got his brother.

He makes a plan then. He needs something to take his mind off of Drake, or more importantly isomeone/i. If he's ever going to get over this little crush (and yes, he's able to put a name to it now and no, that doesn't make things any easier to deal with), he's only going to be able to do that by moving on. It couldn't really be that hard to find a girl, could it?

After going home and taking a quick shower (where he resolutely does Inot/I think about auburn hair and long calloused fingers as he jerks off thank you very much) he heads to the Premier. There's no better way to meet a girl than by going to them and, as an employee of the small theater, he knows plenty of girls take in shows on Friday nights.

It's still early when he gets there, not overly crowded but there are a few people milling around in the lobby. Gavin is behind the concession stand, Josh's usual gig, piling popcorn boxes into mini-pyramids. Josh nods to him, and he returns the exchange by shooting a wink-finger gun combination before going back to his tower.

He takes a seat, rubs his sweaty palms along jean covered thigh and just waits. He doesn't really have anything planned after getting there, so he's playing it by ear. He tries to remember how he snagged Mindy but they're relationship isn't really the best example. They came together out of anger and he doesn't think going up and picking a fight with some random girl is such a good idea.

He runs his hand nervously through his hair and it's ridiculous really, he thinks. His brother is Drake Parker, ithe/i Drake Parker. Something had to rub off on him during the last couple of years. And yeah, bad track to take that train of thought down. But he can be smooth with the ladies. He's smart, and caring, and if he says so himself he's not exactly Itroll/I like. He can do this.

He gets up to grab a drink, the crowd of people getting thicker as it gets closer to the start of the next movie. There'll be a rush in a few minutes, people leaving the last matinee showing before heading home, out to dinner or wherever it is they go. He stands at the concession stand, listening to Gavin with half an ear while watching the group of people around him. Most of them are older couples, a couple of kids there to see the latest animation flick.

There are girls milling around though, talking with one another in various groups spread throughout the lobby. Gorgeous girls, girls someone like Drake would normally go for or vice-versa and it makes him stupidly self-conscious. Josh isn't really certain what kind of a itype/i he has, or if he even has one at all. He's only ever been with Mindy so there's a chance he's conditioned to liking girls who could possibly kick his ass.

He's there for a few minutes when someone finally catches his eye. She's sitting at one of the tables by herself, occasionally sipping a soda while she reads a book that's laid out in front of her. Her brown hair is piled high on her head in a messy bun, and every so often she'll reach up to brush a few loose strands away from her face. She's dressed simply in jeans and a sweater, shoelaces untied and as he draws nearer he can hear the tips of them clacking against the metal rung of the chair. She's pretty, in that way that would make anyone nervous, in that way that makes him feel like maybe she's too good for him.

He takes a deep breath and approaches her table, now or never, he won't get anywhere by creepily watching her from far away. He clears his throat and she jerks in surprise, eyes wide and round as she looks up at him.

"Uh, hi! I-I'm Josh," he says. That's pretty good as far as starters go, he supposes. Nothing embarrassing, if maybe a little bit forward. But hey, at least he didn't knock her drink all over her. Yet.

She looks around her, behind, like maybe she thinks he isn't really talking to her and he shoots her a questioning look. Satisfied that she is in fact who he's talking to she smiles up at him.

"Hey. I'm Jessy."

He grins at her before gesturing to the empty stool across from her, asks if he can sit. She nods and he climbs up, wiggles to get comfortable before nodding to the book still spread open in front of her.

"I couldn't help but notice you were reading. Y'know, in a movie theater."

She blushes, and he finds it kind of adorable when she ducks her head and slips her bookmark between the pages and closes the paperback.

"Yeah, it's weird right? I just like the like the noises, you know? People talking and hanging out," she pauses to blush again. "Definitely weird."

"No. No it's not weird at all. So you come here often?"

And now it's his turn to blush because yeah, that was pretty lame. She laughs, though, maybe picking up on his apparent mistake and shakes her head.

"Not really, no. I usually go to this little coffee shop around the corner from my house but my mom insisted I go out and do something 'fun for a change' so, here I am."

"Oh, well that's cool."

She nods again and watches him with an expectant look on her face. He tries to figure out what to say next but his mind is a blank. He can feel sweat breaking out over his brow, his upper lip, as he starts to panic.

"So. Do you?"

"Do-Do I what?"

He wants to curl up under the table and never come back out.

"Do you come here often?"

"Oh! Oh yeah, yeah I work here. Today's my day off though."

"You must like it here, to come even when you're not on the schedule," she takes a sip of her soda and watches him over the rim of her cup.

He doesn't get a chance to respond, though, because Helen comes up to him in a rush demanding he help Gavin behind the concession stand.

"But it's my night off."

"Do I look like I care?"

She runs off again before he can protest again and he smiles apologetically at Jessy, tells her he'll be right back, before getting up to go help Gavin dish out popcorn. The theater is considerably more crowded than when he got there and he knows how much it sucks to be the only one working. Someone really needs to talk with Helen about hiring more people.

When the crowd has thinned and Gavin is sure he can take care of himself Josh makes his way back to Jessy. His grin slips when he sees that someone has already beaten him there.

"Drake?"

"Oh, hey Josh!"

Drake reaches over and grabs the cup Jessy had been drinking out of, takes a long sip. His cheeks hollow out for a second and then he grins up at Josh from around the straw.

"What are you doing here?"

Josh mentally claps himself on the back for keeping his voice even and, better yet, not reaching across the table and replacing that straw with something else.

"Well I came to see a movie with Lily, but then I met Jessy here and now we're going to get coffee."

"But you don't even like coffee!"

Drake shrugs and stands, holds his hand out for Jessy to take. Josh watches the exchange, his heart beating a thousand times a minute. Her hand, small and petite, slips perfectly into Drake's and Josh has to force his eyes back up to their faces before he does something stupid.

"Yeah, you're right. I guess we'll just go make out."

Drake shoots him a grin and Jessy smiles at him, and she makes it almost sound sincere when she apologizes.

"Sorry, Josh. It was nice meeting you, though!"

He watches them walk away, hand in hand and out through the entrance. He sits back at the table with a heavy sigh and picks up the book Jessy had left behind, opens up to where she'd left off.

"Yeah, nice meeting you."

"Who are you talkin' to, Loony?" Helen shouts from behind him. Josh jumps and kicks the table in his surprise, knocking the cup of soda over and onto his lap.

"Looks like you better go clean up in the men's room," she says before walking away. "Make sure you scrub the toilets while you're in there!"

---

Josh groans loudly, laid out on the couch in the living room with a throw pillow covering his face to block out the light. He'd considered smothering himself with it but in the end was too weak and it only served to make his nose hurt. The scent of disinfectant on his hands is making his eyes water but he doesn't feel like moving to wash them. He is going to lay there for the rest of his miserable life.

"Hey, Boob."

Of Icourse/I.

"Not now, Megan."

"Not now what?"

He removes the pillow and sits up to glare at her as intimidating as he can. It never works but it makes him feel better that he tries. "Whatever evil little stunt you're about to pull, don't. I've had a bad day."

"Like that would stop me," she snarks back before plopping down next to him on the sofa. "Why was your day so bad?"

He sighs heavily and debates on whether or not he wants to tell her. She's not exactly a sympathetic ear but maybe getting it off his chest will help. Not that he's going to tell her everything, the last thing she needs is more blackmail material. But maybe a watered down version wouldn't be so horrible.

"There's someone that I like. Sort of. But I can't be with them so I thought I would try and find someone else to take my mind off of them," he replies.

"Well what's so bad about that?"

"IDrake/I. He showed up at the mall when I was talking with a girl and stole her away from me!"

Megan grins wickedly before jumping to her feet, "Do you want to get back at him?" She asks.

"What?"

"It's not as fun to prank you separately, but I'll deal," He's almost expecting her to let loose an evil cackle while rubbing her hands together in glee. "Oh I've got the perfect--"

"No! No, I don't want to prank him." He jumps to his feet, hands held out in a sign of surrender. Her face falls then and takes on a scowl that chills him. He shouldn't be afraid of a little girl but man, he so is.

"Fine. Then stop wasting my time and go talk to him."

She stomps past him, making sure to put a little more pressure when she gets to his feet and pushes him back down onto the couch.

"Fine!"

The last thing he wants to do is talk to Drake. He's paused at the entrance to their room and through the closed door he can hear Drake plucking away at his guitar and humming softly to himself. It's not a song he recognizes and figures Drake must be working on something new.

He shouldn't disturb him, but it's his room too and he's going to have to sleep eventually. He runs a hand through his hair and takes a deep breath before reaching out to turn the knob.

Drake looks up when he sees Josh enter, grins and goes back to his guitar. He's got a pencil tucked behind his ear and Josh watches as he takes it and writes something down in a notebook in front of him on the bed.

"Hey Drake. Whatcha doin'?"

"Just foolin' around man."

Josh nods even though Drake isn't really looking at him. He kind of wants to turn around and run. Or hurl. It's really a toss up.

"So, have fun with Jessy?"

Drake removes his guitar and swings down from the bed then shrugs up at Josh, "I guess."

"Don't you have anything you want to say?"

Drake throws him a quizzical look then goes and sits on the sofa. He's dressed for bed, flannel covered legs and bare feet on the coffee table in front of the television. Josh knows how soft those pants are, because he's the one who washes them most often. Because they're Ihis/I.

"No?"

And Josh wants to laugh because that's so typically Drake. Do something he isn't supposed to and then act like he's done no wrong. Josh knows better though, knows Drake and his brother isn't as oblivious as he pretends to be.

"So you don't want to apologize for taking Jessy out?"

"Why would I?"

Josh throws his arms up in frustration as Drake blinks up at him with wide eyes.

"Because maybe II/I wanted to ask her out?"

"Oh that. She wasn't your type, dude. I did you a favor."

There's a few seconds of silence as Josh tries to wrap his head around what Drake just said.

"How do you know what my type is?"

"Dude I met your last girlfriend. She was kind of a beast. Jessy didn't seem like the type of girl who would wear your balls on a chain around her neck."

The undignified squawk that comes from Josh's mouth gets his ears burning in embarrassment and a yell from Megan to shut up. He'll deny it later of course, but knowing his sister she's probably got it recorded on audio and video so there won't be much point.

"I don't know what you're… What? I mean. No."

"Don't worry about it," Drake responds and hauls himself up from the couch and back over to his bed, clapping Josh on the back as he passes him by. He climbs up and pulls the covers over himself before telling Josh goodnight. Conversation over.

Josh can do nothing but stand there in the middle of the room dumbfounded.

---

The sun shines bright and painful the next day, forcing it's way through Josh's closed eyelids. He groans and turns over, covers his head with his comforter and tries to will himself back to sleep. There's little to do today that he can use as an escape from Drake and from his own thoughts, if he just lays in bed for the rest of the weekend then eventually it'll be Monday and then eventually he'll be graduating and going to college and getting away from the annoyance that is Drake and his temptation.

But then again Josh should know better by now.

A heavy weight lands on him and he grunts when a sharp elbow pokes him in the ribs. He's got a knee where it really shouldn't be and there are hands trying to yank the comforter out of his tight grasp.

"Dude, wake up, it's like three in the afternoon."

"What!"

He shoots up in bed, knocking Drake back on his haunches and reaches for his alarm clock. It reads a little after ten a.m., so either it's broken or Drake is a liar.

"Why is my clock saying it's still the morning?"

"I don't know. Maybe it can't tell time," Drake replies before climbing off the bed and running over to slip into his boots.

"C'mon get up! We've got a party to go to."

"At ten thirty in the morning?"

Josh follows Drake with his eyes as he crosses their room, stamping his feet to get his boots to fit just right. He grabs his keys and heads to the bedroom door where he turns to grin at Josh.

"'Course not, but you know how long it takes you to get pretty."

Josh feels his face burn and he doesn't know whether he should be offended or not. He would love to stop acting like a thirteen year old girl with her first crush, though. Drake is halfway down the hallway by the time Josh remembers he's leaving.

"Where are you going?" He calls out and Drake's voice is faint but serious when he says,

"To buy cooking oil!"

Despite what Drake might think it doesn't take that long for him to look presentable. He'd stayed in bed for at least another half an hour before he'd untangled himself from the sheets and made his way downstairs for breakfast. He poured himself the largest bowl of cereal he could find and then plopped down in front of the television to watch Saturday cartoons.

Drake still isn't home by three but he decides maybe he should get ready anyway. He doesn't know what time the party starts, or even where it is, and he doesn't really want Drake to think he was right if he comes home and finds Josh still in his pajamas.

His closet isn't exactly filled with too many options, jeans and t-shirts, the required suit and a couple of different ties to mix it up every now and again. He's not a Igirl/I, he doesn't have Ioutfits/I. It still takes him a few swipes through the hangers to figure out what to wear.

He's debating on a button down, either the one with the stripes or the one with the chunky flowers, when Megan comes in. She stands there silently watching him for a few seconds, hip cocked and arms crossed. He hates being under her scrutiny, it makes him sweat, and he just took a shower.

"Can I help you?"

"You can barely help yourself," she smirks.

"If you're not here to torture me, could you leave? I've got things to do."

He turns back to his shirts, they're spread out over his bed, smoothed straight to get rid of most of the wrinkles. He is Inot/I going to steam them. He's not a girl, remember?

"What are you doing, Boob?"

"I'm trying to figure out which shirt to wear," he says. "I've got a party to go to."

Megan sits down on his bed and watches him as he holds his jeans up to each shirt to figure out if they go together. He sighs inwardly and hopes he can come out of this little interaction unscathed.

"Who would invite you to a party?"

"Drake," he says with a shrug.

He hopes it's okay that he goes, he doesn't know whose party it is and he's not sure if they would mind that he's there. He knows Drake doesn't care about things like that, always crashes parties and sneaks into clubs (never mind the fact that he hasn't paid for a movie ticket since Josh started working at the Premier) but Josh doesn't want to step on anyone's toes. He'd hate to get there and have to go through the embarrassment of finding out he isn't welcome.

"Oh," Megan says. Then, "Wear the one with the flowers," before hopping up and skipping out of the room.

Josh isn't so sure what he's supposed to take away from Ithat/I (other than maybe "sleep with one eye open") but he's not one to look a gift horse in the mouth and files it away for future reference.

After finishing the buttons on his shirt he grabs his phone to text Drake. He wonders if maybe his brother got lost, wouldn't be the first time; Drake doesn't exactly have the greatest sense of direction unless he's making a beeline for a pretty girl.

His phone buzzes in his palm a few minutes later, and he clicks his way into his inbox.

IB rite thr :)/I

He stomps down on the fluttering in his belly and makes is way downstairs to wait for Drake on the porch. He's grabbing his jacket off the hook by the door when Megan passes by, glass of soda in hand and crooked grin on her face.

"Have fun!"

It's usually a bad omen when she sounds so chirpy.

---

It turns out that the party is pretty far away, though when they get there it's apparent that it has been going on all day. Drake takes them down a long winding dirt road into the woods, somewhere he doesn't recognize. When he stops the car it's in front of a large two story house. It's probably supposed to be referred to as a cabin, but all of the cabins he's seen is one story and rickety.

Drake throws the car into park and hops out but Josh doesn't make a move, just stares through the windshield and watches his brother cross the yard to a group of guys Josh has never met before.

"Come on man, get out!"

Drake calls back to him and with a sigh Josh climbs out of the passenger side. There are plastic cups and greasy pizza boxes littering the front lawn and he picks his way through them to get to his brother. When he gets there he's got to spend a couple of seconds scraping smashed crust from the bottom of his sneakers. Everyone is watching him when he looks up, Drake included and his brother is sporting an indulgent grin. Josh finds himself grinning right back.

The moment is broken when Drake claps him on the back, and turns back to the group of guys standing in front of them.

"Guys, this is my brother Josh. You remember I was telling' you about him?"

"Yeah, yeah man. The geek right?"

The guy directly in front of Josh thrusts out his hand and Josh takes it, scowling.

"Josh. And I prefer nerd if you don't mind."

The creep who'd called him a geek laughs a little and lets go of his hand, "Nerd, right. He's funny, Drake." He pauses to take a sip of his drink and Josh wonders what exactly Drake has been telling these guys about him. Why he's never told Josh anything in return.

"I'm Chris, and this is Bobby," he says while pointing to the guy on his left, "And this," to the right, "is Keith."

The other two guys grunt in acknowledgement and Josh gives a halfhearted wave. Drake's hand has made it's way up to his shoulder and he gives it a squeeze before dropping his arm back to his side. Josh immediately misses the warmth.

"Man, help me get this oil out of the trunk."

Drake ushers Chris and Bobby over to the car and lifts the lid to the trunk, and from where Josh is he can see at least a dozen boxes of cooking oil fill the space. Josh turns to Keith and finds the other boy staring at him. Not in a creepy kind of way, there's a look of interest in his eyes. It's gone within seconds when he sees Josh is watching him.

"What are they doing with all that stuff?" Josh asks and Keith looks over towards the car with a shrug.

"Bobby found a deep fryer. They're gonna fry things."

Keith's voice is so quiet Josh has to strain to hear him, if he weren't standing so close he probably wouldn't be able to make out what he'd said at all.

"Oh that sounds very… weird. Why are they doing that?"

Keith laughs and turns towards the house, signaling Josh to follow.

"Dude I have no idea," he replies.

Josh gives a final look over his shoulder at Drake lugging the oil from the trunk and passing it over to the other two guys before he follows Keith into the house.

Keith's not such a bad guy, Josh finds out. He never raises his voice above a low murmur so there are times when Josh has to lean forward in order to hear him, his warm breath ghosting over Josh's ear. He'd be a liar if he said that it didn't send shivers down his spine.

He's smart, too. Probably smarter than Josh and he could definitely give Mindy a run for her money. And the guy's sharp as a tack; hilarious. Josh can't remember feeling as relaxed as he is in a long time, at the very least not since that day in the tree house. He's comfortable and happy.

They're sitting on the back porch, drinks in hand and looking out over the backyard as Drake and Chris dump random things into the deep fryer in the backyard before running away. He figures he should be glad they're smart enough to not stand too close in case something blows up. There's a point when Chris chases Bobby around the yard and tackles him to the ground and tears off his sneaker. It bobs back up to top a brown, sopping mess and the crowd around them hoots and hollars as he limps off to the side clutching it to his chest.

Josh laughs along with them and when Drake looks up to where he sits he gives him a little wave. He turns back around to see if Keith saw the shoe debacle and he finds he's watching him again. He's got pretty eyes, Josh thinks. The blush that starts from his neck and ends at his ears from that thought is probably pretty visible and he ducks his head to try and cover the most of it. When he looks back up there's a heat in the other boy's eyes, it's unmistakable and raw and tips Josh upside down.

Keith clears his throat and sets his drink on the railing before unfolding himself from the white plastic chair he'd been sitting in. Josh feels a flutter of excitement start in his belly as he does the same. He follows Keith back through the house, arms close enough to touch, hands near enough to reach out and lock fingers but they don't.

Josh wonders if the people who are milling around in the house can tell where they're going, what they're about to do and a new rush erupts through him. It's heated but it's not embarrassment. It's thrilling, and he feels idirtybadwrong/i but he wants it so bad. Whatever it's going to be. Only kissing, or more.

They hit the stairs and Keith leads them down a short hallway. He walks through the house with ease, and Josh never thought to ask him if it was his place. It must be though, or maybe he's just been here so many times he can navigate the house with no problems.

They stand outside a door and Keith knocks. No answer and he turns the knob and pushes the door open, stands aside to let Josh pass before he closes it behind him and leans against it. His eyes are half-lidded liquid pools of heat and Josh feels suddenly nervous.

They don't talk. Keith pushes himself away from the door and puts his hands gently on Josh's shoulders, kneading. His thumb rubs along his neck, at the pulse there and Josh knows it's rapid beat - can feel his heart hammering in his chest. When his lips takes the place of his thumb it feels nice, and Josh bites back the moan that threatens to escape.

He spends long minutes, standing there letting Keith kiss and lick and bite at his neck and he feels the heat pooling in his belly, can feel himself stirring in interest. He's never had anyone pay such close attention to his neck before, or really, anywhere for that matter. It had never been like this with Mindy. It's a bit of a relief to know that it's not just because of Drake.

Keith's hands are back at his shoulders, a heavy weight there and he's pushing at him. Josh starts to back up, continues until his knees hit the edge of the bed. He topples backwards, Keith following closely behind him.

"You okay?" Keith asks him, concern for Josh is clear on his face and if he's faking he's a damn good actor but Josh doesn't think so. He doesn't care, either, he just wants his lips back on his body.

"Ye-yeah, I'm okay," he replies.

Keith grins down at him and closes the distance between them, breath warm along Josh's lips when he says, "Good," and then they're kissing for real. A little wet maybe, but soft and amazing and Josh doesn't want it to ever stop.

He pulls Keith in tighter, bolder now, and fists his fingers in the other boy's shaggy hair. It's nice to just let go, to just be able to kiss someone for the sake of kissing without worrying about who it is and what the repercussions will be. It's nice to be kissed back.

Josh is so lost in the feel of Keith's lips on his, in the feel of Keith's hands as they roam along his sides that he doesn't hear the bedroom door open. He hears, and recognizes, the gasp though, and he wrenches his mouth away from Keith's to see Drake standing at the door, hand still clutching the knob.

"I'm. I'm sorry man, I thought," he pauses and gulps. He doesn't seem to be able to reach Josh's eyes and that scares him. It makes his stomach roil that maybe he did something so incredibly wrong Drake will never look at him the same way again.

"I guess I didn't think. I'm sorry."

Drake closes the door quietly and Josh is left staring at the space where he was. He's gone cold all over and when Keith starts tugging him back he wrenches his arm loose and stands. He rubs his hands through his hair, looking back and forth between the door and Keith. He doesn't know if Drake is angry with him but he needs to find out.

"I'm sorry. I've gotta go see… I've gotta go," he says before running to the door and chasing after his brother.

He panics for a minute at the bottom of the stairs when he can't see his brother. He can see the car still in the driveway, though, so he knows Drake hasn't left without him. After nearly punching some guy in the face when he says he doesn't know who he's talking about, he's finally told by some girl (in a skirt so short that if he ever sees Megan in something like it, he'll personally lock her in her room and never let her out until she changes), that she saw Drake head out the backdoor.

It's dark now, but he finds his brother easy enough, leaning against one of the many trees that lines the property. He's staring at his feet so Josh can't really tell if he's pissed or not. He doesn't get too close just in case.

"Hey," he tries to keep his voice even, doesn't want to spook Drake into running or fighting. He doesn't have to worry about either, though, he's only met with weary.

"Hey."

"Man, why'd you take off like that?"

Drake doesn't answer for a second and a thousand reasons run through Josh's head, most of them coming back with ugly words. He never thought Drake would be like that, but, some times people are really good at hiding things.

"I don't know man, I freaked okay?"

Josh feels his heart drop. He knew that was probably the reason and he doesn't even know where to begin fixing things. He wonders if begging for forgiveness is a good start.

There must be something on his face that betrays his thoughts because Drake quickly stammers, hands on Josh's arms.

"No man, I don't mean that. Shit," he lets go of Josh's arms to scrub at his face. Walks forward a little, turns so that Josh is the one braced by the tree. He's still got his hands covering his face so he stumbles a little and when he speaks again it comes out mumbled.

"What?"

Drake sighs and lowers his arms to his side, eyes locked on a point over Josh's shoulders.

"I said I wanted to be the one doing it."

"You want to kiss Keith?"

Josh hadn't really gotten that kind of an impression from Drake. He didn't even know the two of them knew each other that well, but then again Drake has never been shy about walking up to random girls and laying one on'em.

"No man, you!"

"I don't… I don't understand."

"For someone who's supposed to be smart you're not very, y'know. Smart."

Drake walks forward and pushes Josh against the tree. His back hits the bark hard and he lets out a grunt right before Drake's lips descend upon his and oh. IOh/I.

It's entirely different than kissing Keith, a thousand times better and when Drake's tongue traces his lips he opens them willingly, allows Drake in.

When they finally break apart they're both breathless. Josh's back is aching from the sharp bark poking him in the back and he thinks there might be a splinter in his palm but the way Drake is grinning at him he really doesn't care.

He kinda loves trees right now.


End file.
